JP5324175B2 - Putter head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a putter head.

  Conventionally, there has been proposed a putter head in which a face insert made of a material different from that of the head main body is mounted on the face portion of the head main body. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-117472 describes a putter head in which a face insert having a two-layer structure of a high hardness layer and a low hardness layer is mounted on the face portion of the head body. Examples of the face insert material include synthetic resins such as ionomer resins and urethane resins, thermoplastic elastomers such as urethane elastomers and polyester elastomers, and rubbers such as styrene butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-117634 also describes a putter head equipped with a face insert having a two-layer structure of a high hardness layer and a low hardness layer. This publication describes that, in the central region of the face insert, a convex portion is formed in the high hardness layer, and a concave portion in which the convex portion is buried is formed in the low hardness layer.
JP 2007-117472 A JP 2007-117634 A

  The mounting of the polymer face insert on the putter head is usually intended to soften the ball hitting feeling with the face insert. Usually, the lower the hardness of the polymer used, the softer the feel. However, the rolling of the ball, that is, the meat ratio, also varies depending on the polymer used. For example, urethane thermoplastic elastomers tend to have a higher meat ratio as the hardness is higher, so if you use a urethane thermoplastic elastomer with a low hardness to obtain a soft feel, the meat ratio will also be lower. turn into. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a suitable putter for a golfer who prefers a putter having a high meat ratio, although he likes soft feel. On the contrary, it is difficult to provide a suitable putter even for golfers who prefer a putter with a low meat rate, although they prefer a hard feel.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a putter head that has both a golfer's preferable ball hitting feeling and ball rolling.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a putter head having a face portion, wherein the face portion is formed with a recess in a central region thereof, and the face portion is mounted in the recess. The face insert has a multi-layer structure including an outer layer serving as a hitting surface of a golf ball and an inner layer positioned inside the head body, and the outer layer The meet ratio of the second polymer material forming the inner layer is higher than the meet ratio of the first polymer material forming the inner layer. The hardness of the first polymer material forming the outer layer may be higher or lower than the hardness of the second polymer material forming the inner layer.

  Another aspect of the putter head according to the present invention is a putter head provided with a face portion. The face portion has a recess formed in a central region thereof, and the face portion is mounted in the recess. The face insert has a multi-layer structure including an outer layer serving as a hitting surface of a golf ball and an inner layer positioned inside the head body, and the outer layer The second polymer material forming the inner layer is higher in hardness than the first polymer material forming the inner layer, and the second meat material has a second meat ratio higher than the first meat ratio of the first polymer material. The second meat ratio of the polymer material is lower.

  In the putter head according to the present invention, it is preferable that the outer layer and the inner layer have a uniform thickness in at least a central region of the face insert. In addition, a protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the outer layer, and a groove or a hole for fitting the protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the inner layer. The protrusion and the groove Or it is preferable that the said outer side layer and the said inner side layer are joined by the fitting with a hole.

  According to the present invention, when the face insert has a multi-layer structure including at least an outer layer and an inner layer, the D hardness of the first polymer material that forms the outer layer in direct contact with the golf ball is While having a great impact on the hit feeling, the meat ratio of the two-layer structure is influenced not only by the meat ratio of the first polymer material of the outer layer but also by the meat ratio of the second polymer material of the inner layer. Therefore, the hit feeling of the first polymer material of the outer layer was maintained by making the meat ratio of the second polymer material of the inner layer higher than the meat ratio of the first polymer material of the outer layer. The meat rate, that is, the rolling of the ball can be improved.

  In addition, as described above, when a polymer such as polyurethane is used, the higher the hardness, the higher the meat ratio tends to be. However, by using a different type of polymer, the first layer that forms the outer layer is used. The hardness of the second polymer material forming the inner layer is higher than the hardness of the polymer material, and the second meat of the second polymer material is higher than the first meat ratio of the first polymer material. The rate can be lowered. As a result, the meat ratio, that is, the rolling of the ball, can be reduced while maintaining the hard feel of the first polymer material of the outer layer.

  Note that the rolling of the ball can be evaluated by the meet rate when the golf ball is hit with a putter as described above. The meat ratio is a value obtained by dividing the initial speed of the golf ball when the golf ball is hit with the putter by the head speed of the putter. Therefore, the higher the meet rate, the better the ball rolls with respect to the head speed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention.
2A is a back view of the face insert shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the face insert along the line BB.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the putter head 10 of the present embodiment is mainly composed of a metal head body 12 and a polymer face insert 20. In the face portion of the head body 12, a recess 14 is formed in the central region. By fitting the face insert 20 into the recess 14, the surface of the face insert 20 becomes a part of the face surface of the putter head 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the face insert 20 has two layers including an outer layer 22 that is in direct contact with the golf ball, and an inner layer 24 that is bonded to the outer layer 22 and is located inside the head body 12. It has a structure. In the present invention, different types of polymers are used for the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24. However, both the first polymer used for the outer layer 22 and the second polymer used for the inner layer 24 are synthetic resin, heat Each can be selected from plastic elastomers and rubbers.

  As the synthetic resin, for example, an ionomer resin or a urethane resin can be used. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer that can be used include urethane thermoplastic elastomers, polyamide thermoplastic elastomers, and polyester thermoplastic elastomers. For example, styrene butadiene rubber or butadiene rubber can be used as the rubber.

  As the first polymer used for the outer layer 22, it is preferable to use a D-type durometer hardness (hereinafter referred to as “D hardness”) in accordance with JIS K6253 of about 65 or less. Since the D hardness of the outer layer 22 has a great influence on the hit feeling when a golfer hits a golf ball, by making the D layer hardness of the outer layer about 65 or less, a soft hit feeling different from metal can be obtained. Can do. The hit feeling varies depending on the golfer, but generally, a very soft hit feeling is obtained when the D hardness is in the range of about 35 to about 45, and a relatively hard hit feeling is obtained in the range of the D hardness of about 55 to about 65. A feeling is obtained. On the other hand, the lower limit of D hardness needs to be about 33 or more according to the rule.

  As the second polymer used for the inner layer 24, one having a meat ratio higher or lower than that of the first polymer of the outer layer 22 is used. The meat ratio of the putter head 10 can be increased by setting the meet ratio of the second polymer higher than the meet ratio of the first polymer. On the other hand, the meat ratio of the putter head 10 can be lowered by making the meet ratio of the second polymer lower than the meet ratio of the first polymer. The hit feeling of the putter head 10 is greatly influenced by the D hardness of the first polymer of the outer layer 22 of the face insert 20, but the meat ratio of the putter head 10 is different from that of the first polymer of the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24. In this way, the second polymer of the inner layer 24 is higher or lower than the first polymer of the outer layer 22. Thus, it is possible to manufacture the putter head 10 having both a golfer's preferable feel and meat rate.

  Preferred material combinations of the first polymer of the outer layer 22 and the second polymer of the inner layer 24 include a D polymer having a high D hardness of about 50 to about 65, and a D polymer hardness of the second polymer. However, it is preferable that the meat ratio of the second polymer is higher than that of the first polymer. The difference in meat ratio is preferably about 0.005 or more, more preferably about 0.010 or more, and further preferably about 0.020 or more.

  As another preferred material combination, the D hardness of the second polymer is higher in the range where the D hardness of the first polymer is as low as about 33 to about 50, which is higher than the meat ratio of the first polymer. It is preferable that the meat ratio of the second polymer is high. The difference in meat ratio is preferably about 0.005 or more, more preferably about 0.010 or more, and further preferably about 0.020 or more.

  Yet another preferred combination of materials is that the D hardness of the second polymer is higher than that of the first polymer in the range where the D hardness of the first polymer is as low as about 33 to about 50, and is higher than the meat ratio of the first polymer. It is preferable that the meet ratio of the polymer No. 2 is low. The difference in meat ratio is preferably about 0.005 or more, more preferably about 0.010 or more, and further preferably about 0.020 or more. The upper limit of the difference in meat ratio is not particularly limited, but will not exceed about 0.1 if it is an existing material.

  The thickness of the outer layer 22 is preferably about 0.25 mm or more, and more preferably about 0.5 mm or more. Further, the thickness of the outer layer 22 is preferably about 3 mm or less, and more preferably about 2 mm or less. When the thickness of the outer layer 22 is less than about 0.25 mm, the degree of influence of the D hardness of the outer layer 22 on the feel of the putter head decreases. On the other hand, when the thickness of the outer layer 22 exceeds about 3 mm, the degree of influence of the meat ratio of the inner layer 24 on the meat ratio of the putter head decreases.

  The thickness of the inner layer 24 is preferably about 0.75 mm or more, and more preferably about 1.0 mm or more. Further, the thickness of the inner layer 24 is preferably about 5.75 mm or less, and more preferably about 4.0 mm or less. When the thickness of the inner layer 24 is less than about 0.75 mm, the degree of influence of the meat ratio of the inner layer 24 on the meat ratio of the putter head is lowered. The greater the thickness of the inner layer 24, the higher the influence of the meat ratio of the inner layer 24 on the meat ratio of the putter head. However, if the thickness of the inner layer 24 exceeds about 5.75 mm, the thickness depends on the thickness. The influence will not change.

  The thickness of the face insert 20 in which the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24 are joined is preferably about 1 mm or more, and more preferably about 2 mm or more. Further, the thickness of the face insert 20 is preferably about 6 mm or less, and more preferably about 5 mm or less. If the thickness of the face insert 20 is less than 1 mm, the material characteristics of the head body on the back side of the face insert will have a great influence on the hit feeling. On the other hand, if the thickness of the face insert 20 exceeds 6 mm, the putter head design becomes too large and the function of the putter head is impaired.

  In the method of joining the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24 of the face insert 20, it is preferable to join the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24 by fitting in order to eliminate the influence of the adhesive in designing the meat ratio. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer layer 22 of the face insert 20 has an annular protrusion 22a extending in the inner direction of the putter head at the outer edge. The outer edge of the inner layer 24 is shortened by the length of the protrusion 22a so that the protrusion 22a is fitted. The outer layer 22 has a columnar protrusion 22b extending in the inner direction of the putter head in the peripheral region of the outer edge. The inner layer 24 has a circular hole at a position corresponding to the protrusion 22b so that the protrusion 22a is fitted.

  These protrusions 22a and 22b cannot be formed in the central region of the face insert. The center region of the face insert is a region where the golf ball normally hits when putting, so if a projection is provided in this center region, the meat ratio of the putter head is raised or lowered by the second polymer of the inner layer 24. The impact will be greatly reduced. That is, it is preferable that the outer layer 22 and the inner layer 24 have a uniform thickness at least in the central region of the face insert 20. Here, the central region refers to a central region when the width direction (toe-heel direction) of the face insert 20 is equally divided.

  In the present embodiment, the outer layer 22 is provided with the protrusions 22a and 22b, and the inner layer 24 is provided with a groove and a hole for fitting the protrusion, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the inner layer is provided with the protrusion. It is also possible to provide a groove or a hole for fitting the protrusion on the outer layer.

  Moreover, although the cyclic | annular or cylindrical projection part was shown in FIG. 2, the shape of a projection part is not limited to these. For example, a protrusion having an arbitrary shape such as a columnar shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a polygonal column shape, a polygonal cylinder shape, or a polygonal pyramid shape can be formed. The number of protrusions is not limited, and one or a plurality of protrusions can be formed. The height of the protrusion can also be set arbitrarily. For example, the height of the protruding portion of the outer layer may be the same as the thickness of the inner layer, or may be shorter than that. Further, all the protrusions may have the same height, or may have different heights for each protrusion.

  In the present embodiment, the face insert has a two-layer structure, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a multi-layer structure of three or more layers can also be used. For example, one or more additional layers may be provided on the head body 12 side of the inner layer 24. The hardness and meat ratio of the additional layer are not particularly limited, but are preferably in the range between the outer layer and the inner layer.

  The shape of the face insert 20 is not limited to the trapezoid shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may be a polygon such as a rectangle, an ellipse, a pentagon, and a hexagon. Moreover, it is preferable that the surface which becomes the face surface of the face insert 20 be flat.

  Examples of the material of the head body 12 include, but are not limited to, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, copper, titanium alloy, zinc, and carbon fiber reinforced resin.

  First, face inserts having a single layer structure were prepared using six types of polymers having different D hardnesses shown in Table 1 (Comparative Examples 1 to 6). And this was mounted | worn to the head main body and the putter head was produced, and also the putter was produced using this. At that time, the height of the face insert was 20 mm, the width was 50 mm, the thickness was 4 mm, and the weight was 4 g. The material of the head body was an aluminum alloy, and the weight of the putter head was 340 g. The material of the shaft was steel, and the club weight was 505 g.

  In Table 1, urethane represents a urethane thermoplastic elastomer, polyamide represents a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, and polyester represents a polyester ether thermoplastic elastomer.

  Then, putting was performed using the prepared putter, and the initial velocity of the ball was measured. For the putting, a pendulum robot 50 shown in FIG. 3 was used. The pendulum type robot 50 is provided with an arm portion 54 suspended from the main body portion 52, and the hand portion 58 at the tip of the arm portion grips the putter 30. The arm portion is provided with a movable portion 56 that rotates on a vertical plane, and the arm portion below the movable portion swings the putter 30 by the rotation of the movable portion 56.

Both the initial velocity of the ball and the head speed were calculated from the moving distance by image processing by a computer using a high-speed CCD camera (not shown). Specifically, 250 frames were taken per second with a CCD camera, and the image displayed on each frame was measured. The moving distance of the ball was such that a reference rod (not shown) was placed in the direction of rolling of the ball, and the distance and the horizontal direction projected on the camera were memorized by the computer. Then, the head speed was calculated based on one frame just before the impact of the putter head and three frames before it (4 frames in total). Further, the initial velocity of the ball was obtained by obtaining the center of the ball by image processing on the basis of five frames after impact (after the ball was separated from the face surface). The initial velocity of the ball was measured on a green seat 60 (MG-14 manufactured by Pro Green), and a tour stage X-01R ⁴ manufactured by Bridgestone Sports was used as the golf ball. The head speed during putting was 1.80 m / s. The results of this test are shown in Table 1.

  Next, 6 types of polymers having D hardness and meat ratio shown in Table 1 were combined to prepare four types of face inserts having two layers as shown in Table 2 (Examples 1 to 3, Comparative Example 7). Then, in the same manner as described above, putting was performed using a putter produced using the same, and the initial velocity of the ball was measured. The thickness of the outer layer of the face insert is 2 mm and the thickness of the inner layer is 2 mm. As shown in FIG. 2, an annular protrusion having a height of 2 mm and a width of 1 mm is formed on the outer edge of the outer layer. The design items of the putter and the measurement conditions of the ball initial velocity are the same as above except that a cylindrical projection having a diameter of 3 mm is provided with a spacing of 5 mm with respect to the projection and the outer layer and the inner layer are fitted. It was. The results of this test are shown in Table 2.

 As shown in Table 2, in the putters of Examples 1 and 2 in which the meat ratio of the inner layer was higher than that of the outer layer, a meat ratio higher than the meat ratio of the outer layer could be obtained. Further, in the putters of Comparative Example 1 and Example 3 in which the meat ratio of the inner layer was lower than that of the outer layer, a meat ratio lower than the meat ratio of the outer layer could be obtained. Thus, it was found that the meat ratio of the putter head can be designed from the meat ratio of both the outer layer and the inner layer of the face insert by making the outer layer and the inner layer into a two-layer structure.

  Also, using two types of urethane-based thermoplastic elastomers with D hardness of 36.6 and 67.7, a single-layer face insert (Comparative Examples 8 and 9) and a two-layer face insert (implemented) Examples 4 and 5) were prepared. Then, with respect to the putter produced using this, a senior golfer actually hit the ball, and the hit feeling was evaluated.

  First, the putter of Comparative Example 8 having a single layer structure using urethane having a high D hardness obtained evaluation of a hard feel. Further, the putter of Comparative Example 9 having a single layer structure using urethane having low D hardness obtained an evaluation of a soft feel. On the other hand, the putter of Example 4 having a two-layer structure using urethane having a high D hardness for the outer layer and urethane having a low D hardness for the inner layer is evaluated to be slightly softer than the putter of Comparative Example 8. Obtained. In addition, the putter of Example 5 having a two-layer structure in which urethane having a low D hardness is used for the outer layer and urethane having a high D hardness is used for the inner layer is evaluated to be slightly harder than the putter of Comparative Example 9. It was. In the putter of Example 4 and the putter of Example 5, the putter of Example 4 was evaluated as a hard hit feeling closer to that of Comparative Example 8. That is, it was found that the impact of the putter using a double face insert is greatly influenced by the D hardness of the outer layer.

  From the above test results, when the face insert has a two-layer structure, even if the D layer of the inner layer that does not directly contact the golf ball has a high or low D hardness, it directly contacts the golf ball. The D hardness of the outer layer greatly affects the feel of the golfer, while the meat ratio of the two-layer structure can be changed not only by the outer layer but also by the inner layer. I knew it was possible.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the putter head which concerns on this invention. (A) is a back view of the face insert shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the face insert along the BB line shown in (a). It is a perspective view of the pendulum type robot used for the putter head put test.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Putter head 12 Head main body 14 Depression 20 Face insert 22 Outer layer 22a, 22b Protrusion part 24 Inner layer 30 Putter 50 Pendulum type robot 52 Main body part 54 Arm part 56 Movable part 58 Hand part 60 Green sheet

Claims (4)

A putter head having a face portion, wherein the face portion has a recess formed in a central region thereof, and the face portion includes a face insert to be mounted in the recess, and the face insert is A first polymer material having a multi-layer structure including an outer layer that is a striking surface that is in direct contact with a golf ball and an inner layer that is positioned inside the head body, and forms the outer layer A putter head in which the meat ratio of the second polymer material forming the inner layer is higher than the meat ratio of. A putter head having a face portion, wherein the face portion has a recess formed in a central region thereof, and the face portion includes a face insert to be mounted in the recess, and the face insert is A first polymer material having a multi-layer structure including an outer layer that is a striking surface that is in direct contact with a golf ball and an inner layer that is positioned inside the head body, and forms the outer layer The second polymer material forming the inner layer has a higher hardness than the first polymer material, and the second polymer material has a second meat ratio higher than the first meat ratio of the first polymer material. A putter head with a lower rate.   The putter head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer layer and the inner layer have a uniform thickness at least in a central region of the face insert.   A protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the outer layer, and a groove or a hole for fitting the protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the inner layer. The protrusion and the groove or hole The putter head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer layer and the inner layer are joined by fitting with each other.

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